Menu

In some areas of Indonesia you can get by with just English, but when it comes to ordering food it is useful to learn a few words. Pretty much any food you order will be delicious and cheap. This is just a guide to make sure you order exactly what you want.

Food

Preparation

Nasi

Rice

Goreng

Fried

Sayuran

Vegetables

Rebus

Boiled

Ayam

Chicken

Sate

Satay

Babi

Pork

Bakar

Barbecued

Kambing

Goat

Sambal

Hot Sauce

Bebek

Duck

Soto

Soup (traditional Indonesian style)

Sapi

Beef

Sop

Soup (foreign style of soup)

Mie

Noodles

Telur

Egg

Ikan

Fish

Udang

Prawns

Tahu

Tofu

The chart above will help decipher a fair amount of Indonesian menus. Simply select the type of food you want, and how you would like it to be prepared. For example, if you are looking for fried rice you will need to look for nasi goreng on the menu. Likewise, fried chicken would be ayam goreng.

Of course, there are a few specialty dishes that method won’t cover. The specialty dishes will vary widely depending on which area of Indonesia you are in – it is a big country made up of many different islands after all. Here are a few. For the rest, we’d recommend just diving in and trying something new. Even if you don’t like it, you probably only spent a dollar or two.

Specialties

Bakso

Meatballs, usually served in soup

Cap Cai

Stir-fried vegetables

Gudeg

Vegetable and meat in coconut milk sauce

Kwetiau Ayam

Flat fried noodles with vegetables and chicken

Nasi Campur

Rice with assorted vegetables and meat.

Nasi Kuning

Rice cooked with coconut milk and tumeric

One of the things I love about eating in Indonesia is that I can afford to try all of the fancy drinks. No more “Just water, thanks,” for this girl. Also, the juice in Indonesia is amazing. It is literally freshly juiced fruit. In the states you would have to go to some high-end, organic health food store to get the quality of juice that you will find on any street corner in Indonesia.

Drinks

Bintang

Local beer

Kopi

Coffee

Teh

Tea

Jus

Juice

Es

Iced

After you’ve had a delicious meal, don’t forget to say terima kasih (thank you)! Hopefully this will help you out next time you find yourself in Indonesia. What Indonesian dishes have you tried and loved?